Read what happened to this worker and see if you can guess whether or not she was awarded workers’ comp benefits.
What happened
A female worker was injured while traveling to a shopping center to buy food and gifts for a holiday party at her employer’s office.
Her husband was driving her to the shopping center when he lost control of his truck. It struck a median and rolled over several times.
The worker then applied for workers’ comp. Did she get it?
The decision
Yes. A workers’ comp judge concluded she should collect comp benefits because she was injured while performing a work-related duty that benefited her employer.
The judge’s reasoning: Her employer supported holiday parties as a way to build teamwork. Plus, the worker was on call at the time of the crash.
Her employer appealed the comp award to a workers’ comp board, a state appeals court and finally the state supreme court. At every step, the decision was upheld.
Cite: Casarez v. Davita, Inc.
